Mountain View Voice

Police chase, arrest armed felon

Man allegedly tried to ditch loaded pistol, had drugs in his truck

by Nick Veronin

After a short foot chase, police arrested a parolee suspected of carrying a loaded firearm and attempting to siphon gas from parked cars on Monday, Oct. 7, police said.

The incident started around 10 a.m. on Mora Drive, in between the Crossings and Castro City neighborhoods. A man had allegedly been siphoning gas from cars in the neighborhood and was in possession of a pistol, ammunition and methamphetamine at the time he was caught, according to Mountain View police.

According to the Mountain View Police Department's blog, there was a report of a man with a gas can and hose walking on Mora Drive. A witness told the Voice that he saw the man and was suspicious, because during the previous week his vehicle's gas tank had been drained.

When police arrived at Mora Drive and confronted the man, he dropped his gas can and began running. The witness said that six squad cars and a motorcycle officer responded to the call. A low-flying helicopter also flew over the area during the chase, but was not affiliated with the police department, a representative with the MVPD said.

The man hopped a fence into the rear area of an apartment building. There, according to the witness, two of his neighbors saw the man was holding a gun.

He didn't make it far before police officers caught and arrested him, according to police. Officers searched the area and found a loaded .22 caliber pistol. Police said they found his truck nearby, and inside they found an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine and ammunition for the gun.

The man, identified as Raymond Sultani of Union City, was reportedly out on parole and had warrants out for his arrest in Placer County for drug violations. He was arrested on charges of being a felon in possession of a gun, possession of methamphetamine and his outstanding warrant.

"This arrest illustrates how a seemingly innocuous incident led to much more than an individual siphoning gas," a representative from the police department said. "We're fortunate this one ended safely, without incident and resulted in the removal of another firearm off our streets."

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